


Facade

by ZZ_Chikorita



Series: Jolly Rogers [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Interrogation, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Non-Graphic Violence, Poverty, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23372011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZZ_Chikorita/pseuds/ZZ_Chikorita
Summary: Guzma is fed up with Moon's little interrogation.
Relationships: Guzma & Moon (Pokemon)
Series: Jolly Rogers [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680463
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Facade

**Author's Note:**

> Ch. 3

As that last word pounded against his eardrums, Guzma felt something snap inside he head. He rushed toward the girl, grabbing her shirt at the throat and held her up against the wall.  


"WHO THE _FUCK_ YOU THINK YOU TALKIN' TO?!" 

Before she could say anything a flash of light flew from her belt, morphing into a form even taller than Guzma. The piercing yellow eyes of Moon's Incineroar burned through the dimly lit room as he raised his claws ready to defend his trainer.  


"Wait!" -Moon held her hand up to the Fire/Dark type; the pokémon stopped mid swing- "Let me handle this."  


The incineroar reluctantly lowered his claws and slunk over to the other side of the room, instead of returning to his pokéball, ready to strike again should Guzma try anything funny.  
Moon returned her attention to Guzma who she now realized was so focused on her that he had no idea how close he just came to a champion pokémon performing a Darkest Lariat directly to his face.  


There was no going back for Moon now. She knew she had to get the information she came for and that, in this state, logic and reasoning just would not work on the Team Skull Boss.  


She took a deep inhale to compose herself and then put on a phony, but convincing smirk.  


"Oh?" she said sheepishly, "Did I strike a nerve big bad boss man?"  


Guzma was fuming.  


"YOU COME INTO _MY_ HOUSE ACCUSING ME OF RIDICULOUS SHIT AND YOU DON'T EXPECT ME TO GET PISSED?!"  


Another flash of light emerged, this time from Guzma's jacket pocket.  


His golisopod is accustomed to his trainer's outbursts and often lets himself out of his ball to subdue Guzma when necessary.  


But again, Moon shot him a glance as if to say 'not yet' before he could grab Guzma's arms.  
If it were anyone else, the giant isopod would probably have just ignored her and restrained him anyway, but he's known her for a long time and acknowledges that she has dealt with his trainer's tantrums in the past.  


Golisopod retreated and scuttled over to sit near Incineroar, also watching intently just in case things get out of hand.

Moon returned to her task.  


"C'mon boss man, you and I both know you ain't gonna hurt me. Now put me down before you do something stupid!"  


The enraged man stared vacantly at her for a moment and then swiftly drew back his arm, ready to deliver a solid punch to Moon's jaw. At the last moment, he released her shirt, dropping her to floor and redirected his momentum, thrusting his fist into the side of an old looking wardrobe. This created a dent, certifying the authenticity of the antique's hard wood.  


"FUCK!"  


He writhed like an ekans using coil. The pain traveled up from his knuckles through his forearm to his elbow and the rest of his arm like tiny eelektross swimming in his veins. He held his bloodied hand close to his body and hissed to keep himself from screaming.  


The two pokémon watched carefully from the corner but remained still. They exchanged looks to express the mutual feeling that 'this was probably the best case scenario so far'. Meanwhile Moon knew she had to keep going.  


"Why you so mad boss man? You mad cuz it's the truth!"  


"Fuck you," he hissed through gritted teeth, still clutching his injured hand.  


"You needed the money so you been flying to the Hana Grand-"  


"No."  


"I hear that's the hub for it these days-"  


"No..."  


"Them haole tourists pay big money for native tail, amiright boss man!?"  


"No. No no no no..."  
He started to grab and pull at his hair with his uninjured hand and stumbled about the room.  


"But it wasn't enough so you starved yourself. Haoles don't want no thick Alolan, no sir! So you get a better pay out at the expense of your own Arc-damn health-"  


"WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSE TO DO!?" Guzma spat, turning abruptly to face Moon.  


A deafening silence followed as their eyes met.  


"Guzma..."  


"Hundreds of years my ancestors have lived _HERE_!"-he pointed forcefully to the ground with his good hand-"On _THESE_ islands!  
If I had skin like fucking Kukui or Kiawe, I could make enough to sustain my team with just one John a night!"  


Tears began to well up in his dark, bloodshot eyes.  


"But NO! I'm not 'authentic' enough! I don't 'look the part'!"  


He began tearing at his hair again.  


" _Look at me!_ "  


He took a step toward Moon.  


"I ain't no haole! I'm Alolan through and through!"  


His voice cracked as he spoke.

Moon looked into the broken man's face. The bone structure in his face, the way his eyes were set above his cheekbones... despite his pale skin, he really was unmistakably Alolan.  


"Z'Goose... I-"  


"But these kids gotta eat! And yeah, a thin frame gets me a couple extra jobs and a couple extra bucks and if that's what it takes to make sure they don't go to bed hungry, then so _FUCKING_ be it!"  


Tears streamed down his beet red face.  


Thunder rumbled gently in the distance. 

"Are you fucking satisfied now?!"  


Moon looked at the ground.  


"Is this what you wanted? To break me? To humiliate me? To prove I'm a failure of a boss and human being!? To make me admit something I could barely admit to myself!? To-"  


He was cut off abruptly as the wind is knocked out of him.  
Moon had almost instantly bolted to Guzma and wrapped her small arms all the way around his torso.  


With her face now pressed up against the chest of the Alolan man she whispered, "I'm sorry Z'Goose... I wasn't here for you... I'm so... so sorry".  


Guzma was taken aback for a moment. Suddenly, as if he was released from a hypno's trance, he began to return from his manic state.  
This girl may be the champion of the entire region, but she's still a kid. A fourteen year old kid that has already had so much responsibility put on her tiny shoulders and is now, once again, trying to help his sorry ass. All out of the goodness of her heart.  


He hesitantly wrapped his good arm around her and placed his palm on the back of her head. He lent his head down to rest on the top of her head and let his tears soak into that 'stupid-ass hat' she always wears.  


They stayed this way for several minutes, neither saying anything, just listening to the low rumble of thunder and pitter-patter of rain.

**Author's Note:**

> Yup, I'm still doing this.  
> Yup, this entire part was angst. Sorry 'bout that.  
> Nope, I still don't know what I'm doing!  
> As always, feedback is appreciated as I always fuck things up no matter how much I proofread it!


End file.
